I receive lots of phone calls and emails from gardeners asking for help with their gardening endeavors.

About 10% of these will be a very familiar problem which is; ‘plants do not grow’.

A few questions often reveals the reasons; such as the over use of man made fertilisers such as general garden fertiliser or even worse, nitrophoska blue.

Often these fertilisers are used to excess (or for too many years) and not only do they damage the soil life but they can also ‘lock up’ in the soil, stunting growth.

The pH of the soil is changed because of the acidic nature of manmade fertilisers.

A little sprinkling of manmade fertilisers, used occasionally to give plants a boost along, is fine as long as the acid aspect is neutralised with a good application of soft garden lime.

Small applications are not going to make fertiliser companies rich compared to handfuls on a regular frequency.

What I am told often by gardeners is; I plant seedlings they slowly grow and seem to sit still for a long time before they either mature or go to seed.

I usually ask the gardener when was the last time you limed (Calcium) the soil.

More often than not it is some time ago or not for a very long time.

A lot of New Zealand soils are a little acidic and become more so over time with our rainfall.

I read one time that calcium is the fuel that feeds the micro life in the soil and without it (soil food web) your plants do not do so well.

Most vegetable plants love a sweet soil which is the term used for an alkaline reading on a pH metre.

The exception to this is potatoes and tomatoes. The vegetables that really love lime are brassicas, peas and beans.

The old gardening way; was to apply garden lime to the garden once a year in the middle of winter.

There are two sources of lime one from lime stone and the other from crushed shells.

Lime stone lime is gritty and slow to breakdown and thus plants may wait some years before they obtain the benefits. Where soft lime breaks down quickly.

Soft lime can be tested by wetting your forefinger and thumb and placing a little of the lime in between.

If it feels soft and makes a slurry then its good value. Lime stone lime is likely to feel course like sand unless it has been powdered down very finely.

After an application of lime the plants start to respond and grow better.

When minerals become locked up because of the over use of fertilisers I also suggest drenches of Magic Botanic Liquid. (MBL)

This excellent product is good for unlocking and along with a dose of calcium, plants respond very quickly and really grow.

Sometimes I have gardeners call me back to say that within a week of doing the above the plants have shown new amazing growth.

There are areas in your garden where you do not want to apply garden lime at all or only a little.

In the annual/perennial flower garden a little occasionally is good.

For acid loving plants use gypsum or dolomite or even better a combination of both.

These contain not only calcium but also Sulphur (gypsum) and magnesium (dolomite)

Which means they can also be used to advantage where you use garden lime on flower beds and vegetable gardens.

Rather than a dose once a year in winter you are far better of to give a sprinkling every 3 months.

The beginning of each season is a good time as it is easier to remember.

So at the beginning of spring and again at the beginning of summer, autumn and winter.

If you have not been in the practice of doing this you will likely notice an improvement in your gardens because you are nurturing the essential soil life.

(Do not use chlorinated water on your gardens either, filter it out with a 5-10 micron carbon bonded filter)

Here is another interesting mineral that can be deficient in gardens and when applied they come to life and take off.

That is phosphate and the product that makes the difference is called Wallys BioPhos which is reactive rock phosphate broken down naturally using microbes rather than acid.

This is how rock phosphate is converted to superphoshate: Acid is applied to reactive rock phosphate.

Superphoshate damages the soil life and causes inert soil through continued use and likely is the reason why many gardeners will not use it.

Conventional agriculture and farming using super and nitrates killing off the soil life in their paddocks.

This means the first essential part of the food chain is destroyed, effecting the healthiness of plants/grass, animals and ourselves.

This is so simply logical, that you wonder why it is allowed to continue?

Mind you it does not make any money for fertiliser, chemical and pharmaceutical companies so we must respect their bottom lines even if we and our environment are not healthy.

Even worse; in the process of converting rock phosphate to superphoshate a pollutant is produced on the ‘scrubbers’ called, fluoride acid (hydrofluorosilicic acid);

a classified hazardous waste, but it is barreled up and sold, unrefined, to communities across America and the world including New Zealand.

Communities to add hydrofluorosilicic acid to their water supplies as the primary fluoride chemical for water fluoridation.

This has to be one of the biggest scams in recent history, a waste product that would cost millions to clean up and disposed of,

is sold at a profit on the pretense it will substantially help fight tooth decay?

BioPhos not only provides plants with the phosphate they require it also introduces beneficial microbes into your soil. BioPhos does the following for plants;

Increases Photosynthesis and storage of sunlight energy

Formulation of simple sugars

Use of sugars and starches for growth

Transfer of energy during plant chemical reactions

Maintenance and transfer of plant’s genetic code

Development of new plant cells

Germination, size, number and viability of seed

That is why some gardeners really notice a big difference when they apply the natural product to their gardens and plants.

Wally Richards

Phone 0800 466464
Garden Pages and News at www.gardenews.co.nz
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